BUFFALO – Long before center Sam Carrick played in the Stanley Cup final or made a fast impact with the Sabres, he would return to the minors following one of his brief and infrequent trips to the big leagues and wonder if he had played his last NHL game.
As his 30th birthday approached, Carrick, who joined the Sabres before Friday’s trade deadline, had played just 47 NHL games over parts of five seasons.
He was a recall guy. Nothing wrong with that. He made a nice living providing solid veteran depth in the AHL.
“Just kept going,” Carrick said prior to Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks in KeyBank Center. “Never really gave up the belief that I could crack it and stay.”
Still, he was also realistic.
“There was lots of times I thought I’m just going to be an AHLer and start a new job when I’m 30,” said Carrick, whose Sabres carry an eight-game win streak into Thursday’s home contest against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. “I’m 34 now.”
At an advanced age, the versatile Carrick might be playing the best hockey of his life. In his first days here, the Sabres, who traded a third- and sixth-round picks in 2026 to the New York Rangers in exchange for his services, have leaned on him heavily.
In his debut, Saturday’s 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators, he won two critical defensive-zone faceoffs to run out the clock. In Sunday’s thrilling 8-7 triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning, he fought tough guy Scott Sabourin and ignited the Sabres’ late comeback by scoring from the right circle.
It probably ranks as one of the most memorable weekends of his career.
Following Saturday’s victory, his new teammates presented him with the team’s wrestling belt as the player of the game.
A day later, he played a prominent role in the Sabres’ most significant and emotional win in close to 20 years.
“I thought it was amazing,” Carrick said of his teammates’ actions in the fight-filled win. “The way, right from the very first scrum, guys all five guys were in there. Even the goalie was getting in there sometimes.
“It was amazing to see. It goes to show you what kind of character this group has.”
The 6-foot, 202-pound Carrick offers the Sabres additional character. His role in Buffalo – a heavy fourth-liner who takes critical faceoffs and kills penalties – doesn’t differ much from his other stops.
“(He’s a) grinding forward who will make his presence known in a game with his competitive spirit and physical style of hockey,” said one scout who has watched Carrick this season.
So, why did it take Carrick, who began his career in the ECHL in 2012-13, so long to stick in the NHL?
He played a whopping 471 AHL games over parts of 11 seasons. While he earned sporadic recalls to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks, he never played more than 16 contests in a season until 2021-22. He once spent two full seasons in the minors without being summoned.
“It’s all about opportunity,” Carrick said. “Early on in my career, I’d get called up here or there, but it was usually do to an injury or a sickness or something. I’d be up for a game, and as soon that guy was back, I was automatically going back down.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and teams had to utilize more players, Carrick said that gave him “a little bit of a runway to string some games together.”
He earned a 13-game look from the Ducks in 2020-21.
“I played well and ended up getting a couple of goals early on and some fights,” he said. “They just like what I did enough to just keep me in the lineup, and then every game I just kept on providing something to help.
“From there on in, I just took a run for it. It takes little opportunities like that, and sometimes the opportunity doesn’t come right away. But I just stuck with it.”
He played 64 games for the Ducks in 2021-22 and 52 contests in 2022-23.
He made his last appearance in the minors on Nov. 11, 2022.
Two years ago, after the Ducks traded him to the Edmonton Oilers before the deadline, he played 10 playoff games as the Oilers fell one win short of the Cup.
Now, he might be part of another run with the Sabres.
“Just a guy that has stuck with it to battle through, find a way … to stay in the league,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “… (He) has found a way to find his own little niche in the game.”
Carrick vs Sabourin. The crowd loves it, the boys love it. #LetsGoBuffalo #Sabrehood #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/Hk9ncQjOPG
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) March 8, 2026
Sam Carrick gets his first as a Sabre, 6-5 pic.twitter.com/Gmlg2h6JTq
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) March 9, 2026